Monday, March 31, 2014

Nothing says home like a warm crackling
fire and cuddling with loved ones. Frost and Flame in Windham and Gorham can
bring that dream to life from the fireplace to the masonry.

“We can build you a room for your stove
if that’s what you want it to be,” said owner Steve Richard who purchased Frost
and Flame in 1992.

Frost and Flame opened its doors in 1978
during the energy crisis. They sold Jotul wood stoves and bikes as a counter-seasonal
product. Woodstoves turned to gas stoves in the early 1990s. “People liked gas
for the convenience,” said Richard. “It also ran with no power.”

The fireplace designs run from simple to
elaborate and come in different faces, interiors and sizes. Three-fourths of
new homes in the US put in a gas fireplace, according to Richard.

In 1989, Frost and Flame saw the infancy
of the pellet stove that used small pellets made from sawdust. They were
cleaner to burn than wood and there was no need for a chimney, it could be
vented through the wall. On average one filling of a pellet stove would burn
for 15 to 20 hours.

Frost and Flame is unique because of how
the company is run. It’s not run like a store, but more like a construction
company. From electrical and masonry to carpentry, they can do a job safely
from start to finish. With 14 full-time employees and Richard visiting 98
percent of the homes to do site inspections, the company is ready to handle any
project.

The company does work from Portsmouth to
Boothbay Harbor, Augusta to Mount Washington Valley.

“We are the largest stove shop in Maine
as far as volume,” said Richard. “We carry every major brand available in North
America. To have all of this in one store is pretty rare.” Frost and Flame installs
between 1,200 and 1,500 stoves each year.

When a customer walks into one of the
showrooms, Richard’s goal is to educate them, deliver the correct product for
the customer with 100 percent safety and fulfill the needs of what they’re
expecting.

In addition to selling the stoves, Frost
and Flame does a lot of service after the sale. They are also fully licensed
and insured. The employees have worked with Richard for 12 to 15 years each.
There is very little to no turnover. Richard trains all of his personnel
together so everyone knows everyone else’s job.

The different stoves provide different
opportunities for heating. A gas stove has no heat spike like a wood stove,
said Richard. With a pellet stove, the heat can be controlled better. Frost and
Flame also offers fireplace inserts to re-invent an old fireplace.

Monday, March 24, 2014

For
two years, Heidi Hilton and her husband Mike Whittaker have looked for the
right commercial property on Route 302 in Windham to expand their resale store.
They found it in the building housing Joyful Noise Christian Daycare and
Learning Center. This is the couple’s second store. The first is in Auburn.

“Windham
has more population and there are not a lot of clothing stores for women. It’s
a good place for a clothing store,” said Hilton.

“People
told us ‘you need to get into Windham,” said Whittaker, who acts as head
maintenance man for the store.

“We
wanted to redefine the word consignment,” said Hilton.

The
store is organized by size and section making it really easy for someone who
needs to pop in to purchase a black T-shirt. Customers are quick to learn that
stock turnover at Juliet’s is fast. What is there one day will be gone the
next.

“There’s
a lot of buzz. A lot of talk about the store,” said Wittaker.

“I
think we’re very reasonably priced,” said Hilton. The store is full of brand
names like Coach, Abercrombie, LL Bean, J.Jill and American Eagle. “The
inventory is constantly changing. I put hundreds of items out new each week,”
Hilton said.

Juliet’s
is more than just clothing for women. There are men’s, teen’s and women’s
clothing from sizes zero to 2XXL. They also have previously-owned accessories
from jewelry and handbags to belts and shoes. The store also has a $1 rack.

Hilton
just hired a new manager, Michelle Bradbury and is looking for a part-time
employee for the summer.

“We’ve
been open four week and have been really busy. We’ve exceeded our personal
goals even with the snowstorms and the cold,” Hilton said.

The
store is clean and uncluttered and Hilton has set the store up how she likes to
shop, she said.

“I
purchase from different people and different sources,” Hilton said. The Auburn
store is all consignment, close to 3,000 items, but in Windham she prefers to
buy items outright. “We carry a lot of unique jewelry. I get my stock at a
reasonable price to see at a reasonable price,” she said. “I’m really picky on
what I buy. I screen everything.”

She
asks that people who are interested in selling to her make an appointment with
items that are gently used and not over two years old. Everything should be
washed. She watches out for smoke smells, animal hair and missing buttons, she
said.

The upscale atmosphere makes you forget that you are shopping pre-owned.

Customer
service is great there and Juliet’s will ship out of state, she said. Juliet’s
accepts Visa, Mastercard and checks.

“We
want people to come and have fun,” said Hilton. The hours are Monday through
Saturday 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “We are very excited to be in Windham.”

Juliet’s
can be found on Facebook, where they put most of their new items with lots of
pictures, and at www.julietsclothing.com.

Sunday, March 16, 2014

Next month, April 13th to
19th, the Windham Public Library joins libraries in schools,
campuses and communities nationwide in celebrating National Library Week. This
is a time to highlight the value of libraries, librarians and library workers.

Libraries today are more than
repositories for books and other resources. Often they are the hearts of their
communities, campuses or schools. Libraries are deeply committed to the places
where their patrons live, work and study. Libraries are trusted places where
everyone in the community can gather to reconnect and reengage with each
other to enrich and shape the community and address local issues.

Librarians work with elected officials,
small business owners, students and the public at large to discover what their
communities needs are and meet them. Whether through offering e-books and
technology classes, materials for English-language learners, programs for
job seekers or those to support early literacy, librarians listen to the
community they serve, and they respond.

The Windham Public Library serves
the Town of Windham by providing a wide-ranging collection of books, movies,
magazines and other resources for information and entertainment needs as well
as story times, book groups, computer access and knowledgeable staff to help
you access the information you need.

Service to the community has always
been the focus of the library. While this aspect has never changed, libraries
have grown and evolved in how they provide for the needs of every member of
their community.

On Monday, April 14th the
Windham Public Library is celebrating National Library Week by hosting a
Declaration for the Right to Libraries signing. Join us at 4 p.m. for a presentation
by State librarian Linda Lord, author Julia Spencer-Fleming, illustrator Kevin
Hawkes, local town officials and library staff members. The new library logo
will be unveiled as well and refreshments will be served.

First sponsored in 1958, National
Library Week is a national observance sponsored by the American Library
Association (ALA) and libraries across the country each April.

For more information, visit us, call
207-892-1908 or visit the library’s Web site at www.windham.lib.me.us. Library
hours are Monday and Wednesday 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m, Tuesday and Thursday 9:30 a.m.
to 6 p.m, and Friday and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

We hope you join us and place your
signature on the declaration in support of Windham Public Library.

When
one first steps inside Avita a sense of calm washes over him while he takes in
the flowers, the calming colors and the water wall that cascades over the name
Avita. A comfortable sitting area with a fire crackling is off to the right and
everyone in the building offers a friendly smile as they pass. For more than fifty
people this is home.

Avita
is a stand-alone memory care facility, the only one in Southern Maine that
caters to people with memory impairments from dementia to Alzheimer’s. They
opened the doors on October 22, 2013. Avita’s parent company is Northbridge
Companies out of Massachusetts.

The
success of Avita comes from “giving good quality care to residents, treating
staff with respect and listening to families,” said executive director Courtney
Freeman. “I’m excited they’re here. Dementia is rising and in the past three
years, three assisted living facilities have shut down in southern Maine. They
deserve a place to go to live a fulfilled life.”

The
70 bed property has three smaller, secure neighborhoods, named spring, summer
and autumn, which provide less stimulation for the residents. There are private
bedrooms with attached bathrooms and some adjoining bedrooms that couples use
as a suite. Details are important at Avita, including each neighborhood having
a different color palate from the rugs to the upholstery on the chairs and the
local art work depicts the season the neighborhood represents.

The
programs and living spaces are built on a social model, Freeman said. One of
the goals is to enhance the resident’s independence as much as possible, she
said. Each staff person from management to nursing to dietary specialists are
trained in memory care and have monthly in-service training.

On
staff there are certified therapeutic recreational specialists. “For every
activity there is a purpose,” said Freeman. From drama club where the residents
are writing a script to a coral group, canvas art classes and more, the
residents are engaged and are encouraged to keep a routine that is familiar to
them. Residents are encouraged to do cooking classes and walk with the
Across-the-Miles group around the grounds at 320 Spring Street.

There
are van outings and trips to the gym one day a week. “We have a big thumbprint
in the community,” Freeman said. Residents take trips to the flower show,
planetarium and healing horses.

Angela
Mastrella is the social program director. “There is no limit to what she will
do for these residents on a daily basis,” Freeman said. One day a resident told
Mastrella that she wanted Dairy Queen, so Mastrella got a group of residents
together and headed off for ice cream.

Two
days a week the van takes residents to doctor’s appointments and on Saturdays
and Sundays the van takes them to church.

“We’re
in their home and we need to respect that,” said Freeman. Staff is encouraged
to interact with the residents and get to know what they like to do and
encourage them.

“This
generation, what they’ve done with their lives and the stories they tell…it’s
amazing,” she said.

Freeman
told the story of a gentleman who was experiencing “sundowning” (a symptom of
dementia) where the man started to get agitated in the evening. The nursing aid
sat and engaged the man in a game of checkers. More people gathered around them
to cheer the man on. He forgot what he was agitated about and no medication was
involved to calm him down.

The
director of resident dining Jamie Bell goes beyond the expectations of every
family, Freeman said. He believes in the philosophy of eat fresh and eat local.
Residents are served breakfast, lunch and dinner. They have choices at every
meal.

Avita
has a house doctor who gives regular presentations for families. There are also
support groups since memory care has an impact on the whole family.

For
more on Avita of Stroudwater visit www.avitaofstroudwater.com or call 857-9007.